Phoenix Fire
by Lady Adamaris
Summary: A half Phoenix, half Kitsune has been at the mercy of whoever has owned her her whole life. With the rescue from some wonderful friends, a little betrayal and an amazing adventure maybe this young demon can truly find happiness down the road. Hiei x oc.


Wolfie: This is one of my hardest and favorite stories to play with. It's slightly AU but it's necessary for the beginning of the story. I'll explain later after the first chapter, but for the most part it's very much like the true YYH that we know and love. Now enough of my blabbing. On to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, it's plotline and/or it's original characters. I do however own Tori and much of the plotline for this story and where it is going.

~Phoenix Fire~

Chapter 1: The Rescue

Pain shot through my body as I flew through the air once again and hit the floor just inches from the wall. "Maybe next time you will do as you're told. Weak demons are here to serve those more powerful than them. You are weak slave!" Growled the demon harshly as he continued to 'punish' me even though I haven't done anything wrong.

My captor stood about 5'8", had mouse brown hair and eyes that were the ugliest mix of brown and green I've ever seen. Not that I've seen much. Over all his appearance might have been somewhat pleasing if it hadn't been for the look of cruelty that was always on his face. It had warped his appearance to something horrid.

I said nothing in return and continued to lie still, learning a long time ago the less you fight back and the less you argue the sooner they leave you alone to wallow in your pain. I stared sadly at the cuffs that held me to the center of my relatively large cell. The chain attached to the ceiling so I could barely lie down as long as I was close enough to it.

It was originally some kind of holding room but it had been outfitted just to keep me captive. My chain allowed me access to every inch of the room but stopped me just short of all the walls, including the one with the door to the room. To top it off the cuffs were magically charged so I had no demonic powers available to me. I was almost as weak as a human.

My captor kicked me this time, tossing me into the air away from him. I let out a small whimpering sound as the chain tugged on my arms and prevented my head from hitting the hard concrete wall. Unfortunately that didn't stop my lower body from slamming into it at full force. I could feel the bruises forming already.

For the past week or so it's been like this. No food, little water, barely enough time to rest before being worked hard and beatings nightly. They wanted something from me but I did not know what exactly it was. If only these chains did not suppress my powers I could heal myself more than a small amount at a time. Even then if I was caught I would be severely punished for trying to escape the previous nights punishment.

I sent out a silent prayer for someone to help me. There was one who has followed me everywhere and kept to the shadows but he has only tried to rescue me once. That was an utter failure and we were both nearly killed for it. Since then he's assisted me however he was able until he could wait for the right time to make our escape. He helped me knowing less that I did about who I truly was and that wasn't much.

My whole life has been as a piece of property. Some have treated me like a precious treasure while others have treated me like a slave. I never seemed to stay long with any of them. I was either sold off, kidnapped or a prize for whoever could assassinate my current master.

Though none of them ever called me by name I still remembered the name my mother gave me. It was seared into a pendant that she had given me as soon as I was born. It was taken years ago but I still remembered it. Ash Tori. That was my name and still is no matter who lays claim to me.

Unfortunately as brightly as my name showed in that pendant, my heart grew dark. I was nearly emotionless. Nearly immune to fear and pain. I couldn't care if the person in the next cell over died as long as it wasn't me. This was the life I was born to and this is how I grew. I learned fast not to let anything get to me.

Me, Ash Tori, the daughter of a Phoenix and a Kitsune. Born to a breeding project that was deemed a failure and sold into slavery because I was considered unsuccessful. I can still hear my mother crying for them to bring me back. My father was killed trying to rescue me. I was doomed to a life of pain and loneliness.

As I was lost in my thoughts I became vaguely aware that the beating stopped. Glancing up hesitantly I saw my captor smirking as he looked towards the door. "Of course he couldn't resist such a lovely treasure." He mumbled before kneeling down next to me. "Now you stay here and be a good girl while I entertain our guest. If you are lucky you'll have a new cellmate to chat with. I'm sure you would like that wouldn't you?"

He patted me on the cheek and walked away. Pulling out his key he unlocked the door and quickly slipped out, locking it behind him. I dragged myself up and crawled over to my small jug of water that was provided me daily. It was nearly gone but I had enough left to last me through the night. It wasn't the first time I learned to conserve or go without the necessities.

Once I had my fill I carefully replaced what was left in my secret area behind the bedding. They never seemed to check there even though they have me clean it out and replace it once a week. It was a good place for hiding anything in case I don't earn it later and need it. Silently I tucked myself into the opposite corner, avoiding drawing attention to my cubbyhole should he return, and tucked my knees up to my chest to wait. The night wasn't over yet.

A couple hours later I awoke to a noise outside my cell. I had fallen into a light sleep while I waited for whatever was to happen. I heard the lock on the door turn and my body tensed as it was expecting another round of abuse. I relaxed slightly as I saw a demon with black hair, indigo eyes and bat wings be shoved into the cell.

Looking away quickly I ignored him to keep myself from being noticed any more than necessary. Sadly I was hoping they'd focus on him for the time being and leave me alone for the rest of the night. I heard as a set of wall chains were pulled down and clasped around his wrists. A loud smack resounded through the cell and my body flinched, going onto full alert.

"She is none of your concern. She belongs to the lord of this castle and is not to be touch by some low life thief such as you." The guard laughed at him and gave a few more good hits before leaving. The door locked behind him and I heard as he moved down the hall for what I would assume to be his evening meal.

I felt some twinge of sadness on this new demon's part. It wasn't his fault that I was such a prize. I looked him over again and saw that they had tightened the chains so that he was either forced to stand or sit on the ground with his hands held tightly above his head.

I looked at his eyes as they seemed like such a lovely shade from that quick glance I caught of them when he entered. I was surprised to find he was looking at me with an unfamiliar expression. It seemed as if he was curious about me. Then again who wouldn't be? I was an unknown creature. Both sides of my family were thought to have been extinct centuries ago.

I shifted slightly as I considered whether to help him or not. It was a severe punishment if I was caught but it was also a small rebellion if I wasn't. I rebelled whenever I could without risking more pain than necessary. I was just starting to rise and go to him when something else happened.

~You're hurt.~ Whispered a voice in my mind. I was surprised enough that I sat there for a moment longer pondering it. I looked around and decided it had to be this new person because it was not the voice of my only ally. Resolutely I decided it was much safer to talk mentally than physically as we were less likely to be overheard, though it was a bit draining on me.

~You…you can speak mentally?~ I asked hesitantly. It had been a few years since I truly had someone to talk to. My friend preferred to talk as little as possible and I never objected. I knew it pained him that I was trapped here while he was free and I wasn't yet so far gone as to be that mean to someone just to satisfy a need for companionship.

I stood up and walked stiffly over to him, instinctively hiding my weaknesses. Kneeling next to him I examined the damage done by the guard. A bloody lip and some bruises, nothing that wouldn't heal within a few days. The shackles were another story as they were harshly cutting into his wrists.

~Yes, I can. Are you afraid of me or can we talk?~ He asked giving me a little bit of a lopsided grin. I couldn't help but give him a small smile as he made a show of it. Before answering I turned and pulled a relatively clean rag out of my secret area and wiped his lip and chin clean.

~You're chained up. What threat could there possibly be from you?~ I asked and hid the rag away once again. I returned again with what little water was left and helped him down some before hiding that away again as well. He gave me a grateful look and I returned to my side of the room just in case another guard should decide to check on us.

~I'm plenty dangerous, even chained. But I'm not here to hurt you. In fact I'm here to rescue you.~ He said with a lot of pride in his voice. I smiled at this, nodded and ducked my head to my knees as a guard checked the room and threw my dinner tray under the door. It was obvious by the meager portions that it was not expected to feed us both. I grabbed it quickly and looked at him.

I wasn't normally one for sharing, to each their own, but he had mentioned an escape. It wasn't the first time I had heard it but his tone sounded so confident, so sure. Somehow I knew that if I was ever going to be able to get out of here he was the key to it. ~Eat~ He said to me before I could decide how to divide the food between us. ~You'll need your strength. We leave tonight.~

I nodded surprised and quickly ate my meager meal. Pushing the plate out the one-way flap I waited as footsteps came, grabbed the plate and left again. ~Alright so do you have a name?~ He asked me as we waited. ~Mine's Kuronue.~ His voice was so happy and cheerful that I couldn't help but feel some of his confidence.

~My name…my name is Ash Tori.~ I whispered. I rarely gave out my name and only to a handful of people I trusted. My name held secrets and those secrets either kept me safe or sent me into unknown dangers that I had wished to avoid. A glance at my new friend told me that he was pleased with my answer. I frowned thinking I had made a mistake in trusting him.

~Perfect. You're exactly who we were looking for.~ He nearly yelled through my mind. I flinched and shook my head. Before I could ask any questions he continued. ~Come and look at my pendant. I'm sure you'll recognize it.~

Hesitantly I walked over and traced his neckline with my fingers until they found a soft string along his skin. Pulling it up slowly I nearly burst into tears as I recognized what he was wearing. It was my pendant that had been stolen long ago from me. I nearly ripped it off his neck right then and there. But I hesitated thinking he would abandon me here if I did. ~Where did you find that?~ I asked instead, very hesitantly.

~In a raid. A demon told us the secret of it before he died. My friends and I decided that such a valuable treasure was more than worth finding. Though no one ever told us that it was a young girl in need of rescuing. That takes priority. Now we have a plan if you're ready to hear it.~ He finished bringing me out of my daze.

I silently reprimanded myself. That kind of reaction could be dangerous for a couple of people in our position. I nodded and listened as he told me the plan through our link. Apparently he had been bait in an attempt to get inside and gain a connection with me. I didn't mind as his plan seemed pretty solid as far as getting us out of here.

A few hours later we were patiently waiting for some signal. It was the pre-dawn hours of the morning and a perfect time for our allies on the outside to strike. I tilted my head slightly. Could that have been a body hitting the floor? Yes it was! There was a second one as the two guards were taken out.

I looked hopeful towards the door as a slight scratching sound could be heard but easily passed off as anything. These old dungeons made all kinds of small noises. A glance at Kuronue told me just how patient he was. A small trickle of blood was seeping down either wrist because he refused to sit still.

At last the door opened and his friends had arrived to save us. Two shadows stood in the doorway. I strained to see them as it was significantly brighter in the hall then our cell. All I could make out were their basic outlines. One was tall with loose close, long hair, with a pair of ears and a tail. The other was a bit shorter with what appeared to be a stalky body and spikey hair.

"It's about damn time you arrived." Kuronue growled and I finally began to hope, for the first time in years, that I was getting out of this slavery.

Wolfie: Okay! Let's end it there. I'm sure all of you know who the two mysterious figures are! Now for a little background and an explaination why this doesn't follow the true storyline. I'm gonna keep it as spoiler free as possible for those who have not seen the Three Kings Saga.

Youko's first ally was Yomi (The Three Kings Saga). Stuff Happened with Yomi and the two separated.

A couple centuries later Youko got together with Kuronue and the two became friends until they were caught in a deadly trap. Youko got away at the cost of Kuronue's life only to be killed a short time later.

600 years later Youko finally made his way into the womb of Shuuichi's (aka Kurama) mother. 14 years later he meets Hiei for the first time.

A few months after they meet they steal the demon artifacts and join Yusuke's team. The rest you should know.

The difference with my story is that Hiei is going to be friends with Youko and Kuronue while they are still alive instead of meeting the Kurama in the future.

Okay I hope that clears that up a bit because I'm sure some people will object to me changing the past just a bit to suit my needs. As for everyone else…Please R&R! ^_^


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